Finding the Best Fit

Propel Insurance pairs Alaska contractors with the right insurance carrier

By David James

ny building project is complex on multiple levels. But for contractors conducting large scale operations—especially those working in Alaska’s remote locations under extreme climate conditions—countless details must be attended to.

One of the most important is insurance. Finding the right carrier can be a major job in itself, as the purchased coverage needs to include not just the many potential liability exposures that contractors know they face but even ones they might not have considered.

This is where Propel Insurance comes in. Propel offers services that can take the burden of choosing the best policy off of the contractor. Propel is an insurance broker specializing in matching clients in construction and other industrial fields with providers best suited to the unique needs of individual projects. They don’t sell policies; they help clients find the best policy at the best price. And according to sales director Brent Heilesen, the company specializes in helping Alaska contractors.

“We really like projects that are remote and have a high degree of engineering or skill sets that go into them,” he says. He lists a few of the unique elements that impact contractors working far from Alaska’s road system: transportation of materials and personnel to the site, safe housing for employees, and the depreciation of equipment subjected to the state’s harsh environment.

“We’re listening to it in terms of making sure that we understand the processes and the equipment and the people and the resources that are needed, so that we can tell that story to the insurance company to make sure that there’s no gaps in coverage,” Heilesen says.

Asked to summarize what Propel does, sales executive Melody Olson says, “We are the intermediary, or the advocate, on behalf of the client to represent them amongst all the various insurance carriers that would consider their business. We negotiate coverage and rates from various carriers and then come back to the client with a comprehensive program that’s suited to their needs.”

Propel is based in Tacoma, Washington, but Heilesen, Olson, and branch leader Max Hanley all have connections to Alaska, and had them before each came on board with Propel. All three are enthusiastic about applying their skills to help contractors here. “I think Alaska—particularly remote Alaska, but Alaska in general—presents unique exposures to loss that we enjoy the challenge of addressing,” Hanley says.

“What differentiates Propel is we look to be a strategic partner with our clients,” Olson adds. “Not just provide them an insurance program but really understand what they do, what their exposures are, and provide balance sheet protection.”

Heilesen says Propel does this by having its team work closely with clients, getting to know their businesses in depth and then pairing that knowledge with their deep understanding of the construction industry. “It takes a trained eye to look at that project and understand what the construction company is telling us as to their plans, how the project will unfold, and what is necessary to complete their work,” he says.

Propel prides itself on going beyond the usual work of insurance brokers and building long-term relationships with clients. It’s an approach that works. Jeff Miller, vice president of operations with Cruz Construction in Palmer, says: “It is easy for a company providing these services to lose touch with their customers, especially with today’s impersonal forms of communication.

“Brent and Max and their team make it a point to stay personally engaged with my team at Cruz,” Miller continues. “They show their care and concern for our business by staying current and informed with the details of our operations. Our company operates in a variety of markets that range from remote heavy civil work to barging support all around Alaska. Their attention to the details of our operations ultimately provides applicable value to our bottom line.”

Heilesen says that’s all in a day’s work for a company that places trust and knowledge at the forefront of its operations. He and his colleagues bring experience and a continuous inquisitiveness to the table as they look for all potential liability exposures that the contractor needs coverage for. Then they take this information to the insurance market, where they seek out those carriers best fitted for the job. Propel can save busy contractors the headache of making sure they’re fully covered.

“That’s something that’s a little outside what most insurance brokers that you come across are wanting to or capable of diving into,” he says.